Temple of Kraden News:
| Greetings, heathen. Perhaps some fortuitous blessing of Kraden's grace hath led you to our humble Temple, or perhaps you are simply curious about this strange and wonderful cult. Should you be willing - and dare to hope - to achieve enlightenment, the door opens before you. Lo! Leave your old life behind! For once you step through, you become something more than just yourself. You become a Kradenette. Are you willing to make the rapturous plunge? Do you have what it takes? One of us! One of us! One of us! Already one of us? Make your presence known: |
| Adnarel Watches: Tatami Galaxy | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 7 2014, 02:28 PM (2,646 Views) | |
| Saturos | Oct 2 2014, 05:19 PM Post #41 |
heart-under-blade
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Lel, Simple. You definitely were accurate for this rec, the show's total Adna-bait. Man, the director also did that Ping Pong animation thing? Why am I not surprised. |
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| simplechild | Oct 2 2014, 06:03 PM Post #42 |
My only feel is murder
  ![]](http://z1.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)
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It's a lot better than you think, I swear. |
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| Adnarel | Oct 5 2014, 11:48 PM Post #43 |
I'd rather be outside.
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*cracks knuckles* Alright, here we go. First off, let's clear the air about the name. First of all, it's extremely relevant to the story, and second of all, it's not nearly as ridiculous as you're imagining it to be. I can't go into too much detail because spoilers, but suffice it to say the title is an elaboration on one of the show's serious themes told in its characteristic and somewhat zany delivery. In short: if you're getting hung up on the title, you're doing it wrong. The title doesn't even make sense until the last few episodes. Just go with the flow. :3 I think this show may have gotten its "3deep5me" reputation a shade unfairly. True, it is not your saccharine shōnen or shōjo show that tends to develop meteoric fame around these parts. Nor is it a Satty-esque postmodern drama, or a grit-for-the-sake-of-grit long slog. I think if you had to shift the context of genre to more of a western intepretation, it'd fall somewhere in YA, but definitely more towards the late teen or even early twenties crowd. The show is a really neat study on a cast of multifaceted characters - all of whom are really well-written (I was concerned that Akashi would end up being bland, but that was fixed with her role in the flying machine club and the whole deal with "Keiko," so even she ended up being interesting). The narrator's decisions and the various permutations of his "rose-colored campus life" are fun to see. The narrator himself isn't especially likeable. He's basically a big plate of spaghetti. Mercifully, we aren't subjected to the story of how we got that way, and are simply presented with him the way he is. He only makes passing references to being a pussy in high school and wanting to change, or whatever. In other characters, we get to see different sides of them that slowly reveal their motivations. In the narrator, we get to see the exact same side of him over and over again while his motivations never really change. Rather, it his methodology that changes and makes the show interesting to watch. In this sense, he is somewhat of a static protagonist, but he isn't static for lack of trying. In fact, his downfall in one particular episode is improving himself too much. There are a few really comfortable and satisfying constants through each episode. We have Neko Ramen and and Old Lady. Except in the first episode where there is some rot about being the God of Matchmaking, the Master is always the Master, and we get to see snapshots of the delightful Proxy War. And, of course, there is Ozu... Ozu! The most interesting character of them all! After taking in the whole series, part of me wonders if Ozu had navigated his own "tatami galaxy" and taken an interest in the narrator along the way. He certainly utters some lines (repeatedly) that support that idea. And in Episode 11, we appear to see Ozu as he actually is and the narrator as he actually ought to have been all along. I can't decide if Ozu is the hero, an anti-hero, or simply a foil all along. Perhaps he need not be boxed neatly into any one category. I'm sure Saturos will have more of an insight into that anyway. In tone, the show is silly without being self-effacing, funny without being farcial, dramatic without being maudlin, and clever without being pretentious. I thought it was all very deftly handled and rather well balanced. I can certainly see the pace as a barrier for some; it wasn't for me. I loved the pace. The sheer amount of kinetic energy it granted the show was a real treat to watch. It also allowed the cartoonists to slip in their fair share of visual gags, which rightly ought to appear in any animated work of any length. I thought the music was pleasant and well-matched enough not to be forgettable. I was relieved to see they didn't make music a focus of the show. It's such an easy way to screw up your product. One of the show's weaknesses is a sort of steep entry ramp. It unapologetically propels itself into its mature storytelling form immediately and never looks back. For those unused or unsuited to the pace it makes the entire product inaccessible. I thought the show sagged a little during the arc concerning itself with the narrator's three women, but recovered nicely once it had expounded upon that story line and moved on. In summary, 9/10 would watch again, very glad for the rec. I think more people ought to watch it around here. If nothing else, they can see what it took for Adnarel to really, really enjoy a Chinese pornographic cartoon. |
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| Saturos | Oct 6 2014, 12:03 AM Post #44 |
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heart-under-blade
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I can do some Ozu analysis later tonight if you like, and I also want to hear some of Simple's thoughts on these issues. Adnarel, if you're curious, here were my thoughts upon finishing Tatami Galaxy. http://forum.templeofkraden.com/single/?p=8726512&t=7205917 |
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| simplechild | Oct 8 2014, 11:51 AM Post #45 |
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My only feel is murder
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I really don't have too much to say because I agree with all of it, even the small complaint with the arc about the three girls. The story is very simple to understand at a surface level, even though it doesn't look that way, but the manner in which this show goes about executing its themes is nothing short of sublime. You may not be able to speak much about it in terms of analytics and developing themes because it is, indeed, repetitive for its own sake. It ain't no Endless Eight levels of repetition, though. Did you ever notice that the narrator's movies in episode 2 eventually became concepts for future time loops? |
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| Saturos | Oct 8 2014, 04:36 PM Post #46 |
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heart-under-blade
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I think I picked up on one or two of them, but I didn't remember ep 2 well enough for that. It was more just like "Hey, this is a movie callback." |
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| Adnarel | Oct 8 2014, 07:04 PM Post #47 |
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I'd rather be outside.
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Satty, pls make Ozu post. |
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| Adnarel | Oct 19 2014, 08:11 PM Post #48 |
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I'd rather be outside.
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Upon watching the first episode: "Um......... ... they talk really fast." - Jenna |
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| simplechild | Oct 19 2014, 08:28 PM Post #49 |
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My only feel is murder
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Yep. Mhm. |
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| Saturos | Oct 19 2014, 08:34 PM Post #50 |
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heart-under-blade
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gotta go fast |
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| Jenn-uh | Oct 19 2014, 09:00 PM Post #51 |
hunny bunchkins sugarcube lettuce chamomile sweetie pumpkin schnitzel fries
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At first I thought it was just part of a quirky introduction sequence. It was not. |
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| simplechild | Oct 19 2014, 09:05 PM Post #52 |
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My only feel is murder
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life in the fast lane, surely makes you lose your mind life in the fast lane, everything all the time |
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| Saturos | Oct 19 2014, 09:06 PM Post #53 |
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heart-under-blade
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If you're watching it by yourself and you feel you missed something important, you can rewind and pause if you want. I did this once just because I was distracted by something else while I was watching, so I had to rewind. >_> |
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